“I know it’ll be a great environment out there,” Flood said about his team’s Sept. 19 game at Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions’ first night game of the season. “They’ve got a very exciting fan base, so we’re looking forward to that game, but we’re not looking at that game right now because we’ve got two that we’ve got to play before it.”

Last season the Nittany Lions beat Rutgers, 13-10 in Piscataway, N.J. and given Penn State’s recruiting success in New Jersey Flood shed light on the three keys that could lead to a Penn State-Rutgers rivalry.

“Geography. Certainly the geography is there,” Flood said. “Recruiting. Do you have players in both programs that were recruited by both schools? We do, certainly the case. And then competitive football games, which we had last year.

“Is it the start of something like that? It might be, but I think those things have to happen organically, I don’t think you can create them.”

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CHICAGO — Penn State’s 20-19 loss to Maryland last November continues to be one of the Terrapins’ largest bargaining chips as they move forward on the recruiting trail.

The win was Maryland’s second all-time against Penn State and the team’s first ever win in State College. Beyond the non-handshake during the coin toss that created a stir, Maryland coach Randy Edsall said the win continues to help as the Terrapins as they move forward in the Big Ten.

“I think it showed kids in our area that we can compete with them and that we can win,” Edsall said Thursday at Big Ten Football Media Days. “Kids look at that. High school kids look at that. Penn State has always had a niche for being able to come down to Maryland and take players up and we knew if we wanted to get some recruits we’d have to beat them on the field.”

The Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia region has been a large part of Penn State’s recruiting footprint during the past. It was the region now Ohio State assistant head coach/defensive line coach Larry Johnson dominated during his time as a coach at Penn State.

Edsall also was asked about how he views the future of Penn State and Maryland and whether or not the two schools will start to create rivalry.

“I think the proximity between the two schools, you hope that can develop into a rivalry because I think those things are good,” Edsall said. “But again, those things do take time and the only way you can create a rival is by beating teams on the field and that’s what we know we have to do if we want to have rivalries in the Big Ten.”

Franklin downplayed creating a rivalry with Maryland prior to the game last season, saying that while he understands the regional perspective, he simply viewed it as another Big Ten game.

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The stacked Big Ten East division with Ohio State and Michigan State has one clear favorite.

Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer accepts an award from the Reds honoring the Buckeyes during the offseason. (Gary Landers/Associated Press)

That much is certain after Cleveland.com’s fifth annual Big Ten preseason football poll, which used responses from 40 beat writers around the conference to pick their order of finish in the Big Ten’s East and West division as well as preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honorees. The Big Ten doesn’t do an official preseason media poll so this is as close as it gets.

Ohio State is a unanimous pick to win the Big Ten and Wisconsin, with 32 first place votes is the favorite to win the West.

Below are the complete Cleveland.com poll results, with the Nittany Lions picked to finish third in the East, behind Ohio State and Michigan State. Point totals follow each school along with first-place votes.

EAST

1. Ohio State 280 (40)

2. Michigan State 240

3. Penn State 186.5

4. Michigan 163.5

5. Maryland 95.5

6. Rutgers 78

7. Indiana 76.5

WEST

1. Wisconsin 272 (32)

2. Nebraska 231.5 (5)

3. Minnesota 197 (3)

4. Iowa 158.5

5. Northwestern 125

6. Illinois 77

7. Purdue 59

For those wondering, here’s what my ballot looked like:

EAST

1) Ohio State

2) Michigan State

3) Penn State

4) Michigan

5) Maryland

6) Rutgers

7) Indiana

WEST

1) Wisconsin

2) Nebraska

3) Iowa

4) Minnesota

5) Northwestern

6) Illinois

7) Purdue

You’ll notice there’s not much difference between the two, except for me placing Iowa ahead of Minnesota. I did pick Ohio State to beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game and predicted Ohio State would be the only team from the conference in the College Football Playoff.

Zettel garnered 25 votes, good enough for third place, and given his rare combination of speed and athleticism for an end-turned tackle -- plus the eye popping stats he put up last season with a team best 17 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three interceptions and a touchdown-- he’ll be one to keep an eye on. The full preseason Defensive Player of the Year votes can be found here.

Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliottis the preseason Offensive Player of the Year, picking up 31 first-place votes (and 150 votes overall), including a first-place one from me. Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook is second with 57 votes and Ohio State’s Cardale Jonesis third with 19 votes. Who knows what Urban Meyer does at quarterback, but Jones certainly showed last year what he’s capable of. I gave Jones the second place nod over Cook.

Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg was sixth with nine votes. Hackenberg’s spot also tied him with the voters who simply selected “Ohio State quarterbacks” in the same slot. All of the preseason Offensive Player of the Year votes can be found here.

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter @audsnyder4

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State’s final prospect camp of the summer was also the hottest. Players lined the indoor and outdoor practice fields Sunday afternoon for their chance to impress the staff and learn a thing or two before readying for their own Fall camps to begin.

Penn State verbal pledges Alex Gellerstedt and Lavert Hillwere both on hand for the camp, with Gellerstedt participating while Hill watched some of Michigan’s better underclassmen go through drills. Quarterbacks Kirk Bowman(2018, Grapevine, TX) and Kasim Hill (2017, Gilman School in Baltimore) were among the standouts.

Class of 2017 defensive endYetur Matos, who picked up a Penn State scholarship offer after the satellite camp at Old Dominion University last month, was also on hand. Matos didn’t camp, but was in town to watch and also attended Saturday’s Lasch Bash BBQ, a gathering of committed and the top uncommitted prospects.

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter @audsnyder4

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Prior to Penn State’s Saturday Lasch Bash recruiting BBQ that resulted in two verbal pledges as of Saturday at 6 pm, the Nittany Lions held their second evening prospect camp of the summer.

The Friday camp featured verbal pledges Michal Menet,Connor McGovern,Quinn Nordin,Danny Dalton, Ellison Jordan and Sean Clifford. Four-star Gateway offensive tackle Robert Hainsey was among the standouts in attendance. Penn State will hold another camp Sunday afternoon.